Ex-politician's husband remembered as loving father who
battled with depression

By Maria Babbage, The Canadian PressJanuary 3, 2014

George Smitherman, left, and his husband
Christopher Peloso wave as they leave Queens's Park on Nov. 9,
2009 in Toronto. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

TORONTO - A throng of former and current politicians
joined Ontario ex-cabinet minister George Smitherman Friday
as he said goodbye to his husband, who committed suicide
earlier this week while struggling with depression.

Premier Kathleen Wynne and her predecessor Dalton
McGuinty, as well as many members of the Liberal caucus and
Toronto city council were on hand to grieve with their
colleague.

Christopher Peloso, 40, was found dead by police on
Monday, a day after he went missing. He also disappeared in
September, but was found by cops two days later in a wooded
area near train tracks.

A visibly emotional Smitherman, known for both his
aggressive political style and an openness about his private
life that's rare among public figures, was near tears as he
spoke about his husband's battle with mental illness and
breaking the news to their two young children, both under
the age of six.

The pressures Peloso felt were "unbelievable and
insurmountable," Smitherman said.

"He had so much strength," he told the packed crowd in a
downtown community centre.

"He would never say no, he would never complain and he
certainly would never really ask for help."

Peloso was a devoted stay-at-home dad to their adopted
son and daughter and adored his adult biological daughter
from a previous relationship, Smitherman said. He loved
animals to the point of pulling over to the side of the road
to rescue an injured bird.

His husband was a private person, but supported
Smitherman in his political career, even pushing him to run
for a federal seat in 2013 when former Liberal leader Bob
Rae stepped down, he said.

"While we can focus on the glaring reality that he took
his own life at a shockingly young age, you mustn't lose
sight of his mark on me and our family," Smitherman said.

"We are his legacy project. I'm the better man for it."

Peloso's father Reno said he and his wife are struggling
with guilt about what they could have done to stop their son
from taking his own life. But the outpouring of support is
helping them through it, he said.

"It's going to make it easier for us, when people come up
to us and say, 'What happened?'," he said.

"It's going to be easier for us to say, 'You know what?
Chris suffered from depression, he committed suicide and
there's no shame in that.'"

Former Toronto mayor Barbara Hall, a close family friend,
said Peloso worked hard to deal with his deep depression.

"In recent months he spoke often of the stigma and the
stereotypes he felt and feared because of his illness," she
said.

"Society and attitudes are changing, but not fast enough,
leaving too many like Christopher defeated."

She urged the crowd to create a legacy for Peloso, where
stigma surrounding mental illness is eliminated and all
loved ones are supported through illness, "whatever form it
takes."

Smitherman, 49, and Peloso, a former executive at
chocolate company Lindt, met about 20 years ago and were
married in August 2007. They later adopted two children,
Michael and Kayla.

Smitherman, who was first elected to the provincial
legislature in 1999, served as deputy premier, health
minister and energy and infrastructure minister before
stepping down in 2010 to run for Toronto mayor. He lost to
Rob Ford.

Readers should note that George Smitherman had a history of
depression and despite that history, he and his "husband"
Christopher Peloso were both approved to be adoptive parents by
the Children's Aid Society of Toronto.

The Cartel of Children's Aid Societies of Ontairo are
unaccountable and operate in a cult like environment where in
some agencies, being gay or lesbian is almost an unwritten
requirement to gain employment. If you are heterosexual, you
have to be able to demonstrate a ruthless ability to fabricate
evidence and or omitt evidence to give justify the societies
never ending need to "apprehend children" who are then placed in
the care of adoptive parents.

If you are gay or lesbian, your odds of being able to adopt
suddenly increases, as they do if you happen to be a
politician, a police officer, a crown attorney, a member of
victims witness, women's shelters, or a profession that has
something to offer, a school teacher or nurse are classic
examples where one phone call can result in a child being
apprehended and absent a good lawyer, the child or children has
a good chance of being adopted out, by one our corrupt
Children's Aid Societies.

At the same time, the Children's Aid Societies using lawyers who
are openly gay, attack male and female victims of domestic
violence apparently because they are not gay.

It is a passive agressive promotion of hatred while pretending
to be victims of descrimination themselves. According tothem,
anyone who is not gay or lesbian is not part of their
"community" and is unable to speak their cult like language.

The Children's Aid Societies of Ontario make mistakes all the
time and reguarlly place children with abusers and those who are
at risk of harm to children. They take those risks because the
evidence does not agree with their preformed politically correct
conclusions.

If you know of a foster parent, volunteer, or other person
employed directly or indirectly by the Children's Aid Society
who is a risk of harm to a child you can send a report to
StopCasdotca@gmail.com